Dog Parvo Symptoms

Cancer is one of the leading causes of pet deaths today. While modern veterinary medicine and technology has increased the life expectancy of animal companions, cancer is primarily a geriatric disease. Thus, the prevalence of cancer among animal companions has considerably increased, along with the veterinary and human treatments to combat it.

Medical and technological advances have been widely covered by the media, resulting in a more informed general public – many of whom seek advanced care for their pets. The human-animal bond can be quite impressive, and should be encouraged and cherished. We owe it to the public and our patients to offer the best quality care and most up-to-date medicine so that owners and their pets can benefit from it.

Currently, complete surgical resection (removal) is the most successful form of treatment for localized tumors. Unfortunately, in many cases, microscopic disease remains and further resection is limited by the tumor’s location or the owner’s fear of causing significant dysfunction or disfiguration. Adjuvant therapy (additional therapy to enhance the effectiveness of the primary medical treatment) is often necessary to maintain better tumor control. Chemotherapy, immunotherapy, biologic therapy, radiation therapy, thermotherapy and photodynamic therapy are all considered adjuvant therapies, and the optimal combination of these modalities depends on the individual case. Since tumors consist of aggressive cells, more combative approaches have resulted in increased success. Using modern medicine and research, some tumors can be beat, and many others can be controlled such that the pet’s quality of life is acceptable, to pet and owner alike, for a longer period of time.

The best chance to cure is the FIRST chance to cure. The key to success in oncology is to be aggressive. The key to achieving the best outcome is to be aggressive within reason – which means taking into consideration the owner’s concerns, the pet’s prognosis and any preexisting medical conditions.

Radiation therapy is not new to veterinary medicine, and publications on its use date back as far as the early 1900s (following closely behind Roentgen’s discovery of the x-ray in 1895). Using a growing knowledge of radiation physics and radiobiology, veterinary radiotherapy pioneers have perfected treatment protocols. The current use of higher energy radiation units, advanced computer treatment planning programs, and safer anesthetic agents that allow more frequent anesthesia, have all lead to an increased success in tumor control and the sparing of normal tissue, and a significantly decreased complication rate. Therefore, radiotherapy, as it is currently practiced, is an acceptable and effective cancer treatment that should be routinely considered as a potential therapy for localized tumors.